# John Bellingham — The Eye of Osiris character guide

> John Bellingham in The Eye of Osiris by R. Austin Freeman.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Mr. John Bellingham, Bellingham, the late John Bellingham, Poor John Bellingham

**First appearance:** 0000-i-the-vanishing-man

## Snapshot

An Egyptologist who returned from the desert with a case of antiquities and then vanished from his relative's study without a trace, leaving only a broken scarab behind.

## Who they are

John Bellingham is the man at the center of the mystery: a well-known collector who came back from Egypt, called on his relative Mr. Hurst at Eltham, and was never seen leaving the house. His disappearance leaves a will in dispute, a brother suddenly impoverished, and a daughter adrift, while the scarab found in the grass becomes the first tangible clue. His absence, more than his presence, drives the novel's early arc, forcing everyone around him to reconstruct a man from fragments.

## In the story

### [The Vanishing Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/i-the-vanishing-man)

The missing man, an archaeologist who recently returned from Egypt; last seen at Mr. Hurst's house.

### [Legal Complications and a Jackal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/iv-legal-complications-and-a-jackal)

The deceased brother whose will and disappearance are central to the legal discussion.

### [VI: Sidelights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/vi-sidelights)

Deceased uncle, described as obstinate, self-willed, and wrongheaded. His will is considered absurd and like that of a lunatic.

### [The Sphynx of Lincoln’s Inn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/ix-the-sphynx-of-lincoln-s-inn)

Referenced as the missing man whose remains may have been discovered; his last gift to the British Museum is mentioned.

### [XVI: O Artemidorus, Farewell!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/xvi-o-artemidorus-farewell)

His mummy is the subject of discussion regarding the bitumen coating.

### [A Strange Symposium](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/chapters/xix-a-strange-symposium)

The deceased; his disappearance and the circumstances of his will are central to Thorndyke's analysis.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/characters/john_bellingham
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_eye_of_osiris_se/characters